If you would open your Bibles with me to John chapter 9. John chapter 9. And our text will be found in the last part of verse 25. One thing I know. One thing I know, that wherein I was blind, now I see. One thing I know, what a blessing it is to know something for sure, to be taught of God.

in all the uncertainties and confusion of this life, to be able to say with this blind beggar, one thing, I know, that whereas once I was blind, but now I see. The more times I read John chapter nine, the more the Lord shows me just pictures of his grace in salvation. What a glorious miracle this was. A man begging outside the temple, the disciples saying to him, to the Lord, why was this man born blind? Was it because of his sin or because of the sin of his parents? They were confused. They didn't know. And then after the Lord healed him, the neighbors were confused. Some said, this is he. Others said, no, it's not he, not him. The Pharisees were confused. They didn't understand, though they were told plainly and clearly. They refused because of their hatred for Christ. They refused to believe the testimony of the blind man.

The blind man himself, I'm certain, was confused. You know, our babies spend the first couple of years of their life just registering in their minds images of things before they learn how to how to describe them or how to speak of them before they learn language. They have to register pictures of things and they're very observant. I've noticed that with young children, how observant they are. Can only imagine a person born blind, never had the opportunity of a baby to register images in his mind and all of a sudden now just a matter of a very short period of time, everything he's seen. What is it? And when the Lord heals, he doesn't heal part way. This man didn't have to have glasses. No, the Lord gave him 20-20 vision. He saw everything clearly. And then he was confused by the questions that the Pharisees were asking him. They were interrogating him. These men who everyone feared were asking him how it was done. And in simplicity and in honesty, he just told them what he knew.

His parents were confused. They didn't want to be cast out of the temple. When the Pharisees approached them and said, is this your son? And how was he made? to see the Pharisees, the parents in fear of the Pharisees said, go ask him, we don't wanna get involved. You know, life in this world, my brethren and my friends can be very confusing. It can be very complicated. Our circumstances can be beyond our understanding. Our relationships can often become very complicated and torn. Our emotions, our feelings, how do we sort through them in trying to make sense of what we see and where we are? And then most of all generations of men that have ever lived, no one's been bombarded with more information than we are. What do we believe? How do we sort through it? How do we figure out what's right, what's true, and what's not? Our understanding is very limited.

and yet to be able to say with this man who was the recipient of a miracle, a miracle that illustrates as clearly as any miracle that the Lord performed, the salvation of a sinner born into this world blind, begging outside of the temple, not able to worship God. And the Lord, not moved by the pleas of this beggar, the beggar never asked him to do anything. The Lord intervened, made mud of spittle, sent him to the pool of Shalom, and said, wash. And he washed. And he came back seeing. And then he makes this statement. I don't know what's going on. You say he's a sinner. Look at the first part of this verse. They said to him, because of their hatred for Christ, they said of him, he's a sinner. He answered and said, whether he'd be a sinner, notice or no, is in italics, I know not.

Now, the blind man has already professed the Lord in, I think it's verse 13, when they ask him first time, he's a prophet. After this, he's going to say to them very boldly, if a man's not of God, he can't do what he did to me. There's no record anywhere in the history of mankind where a person who was born blind was given sight. This man must be of God.

And so I tried to understand what this blind man is actually saying in verse 25. And I don't believe that he's saying, well, you might be right. No, I think the proper interpretation of verse 25 is, you say that he is a sinner. I can't side with you on that. I'm confused." He's going to say that in the next few verses. I'm confused how it is you could come to this conclusion that he is a sinner. No sinner could do what he's done. He's not agreeing that maybe he is or maybe he isn't. He's disagreeing with them. And he's saying to them, I don't understand how you could come to that conclusion.

But I know this, I know this one thing. You say what you want, let everybody else be as confused as they want. I know this one thing. Once I was blind, and now I see.

He didn't even know what blindness was. He said, well, how could that be? He had nothing to compare it to. He was born blind. People would talk about things that they're seeing, and they would talk about him being blind, but he had no point of reference. He couldn't even comprehend what it meant to be blind. And it wasn't until he actually was able to see that he could understand what it was to be blind. Not the way it is in the new birth. We didn't even know we were blind. We didn't even know we were sinners. We didn't even know that we were completely alienated and without God in this world. Until the Lord gave us eyes to see.

One thing I know. One thing I know. What a blessing it is in a life that is so convoluted, so confusing, so complicated in so many ways to be able to say, one thing I know. And I'm sure of it. I'm certain of it. There's confidence in certainty, isn't there? You want to disagree with me? Go ahead. I don't have to get angry. I don't have to prove my point. I know what I know.

One thing. We were talking about this in the men's study this morning before the service. If the I be single, if the I be single, the whole body shall be full of light. But if the eye be divided, and that word means be in much labor. In other words, if I'm looking to Christ plus something else, or I'm trying to make sense of all of these different opposing views, then the whole body shall be full darkness if the I be single single I love what Paul said when he said I fear I fear lest by any means and Satan's got a lot of means a lot of things come into our lives that would that would cause doubt and confusion and fear and distraction from Christ I fear lest by any means, as Satan beguiled Eve in the garden, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity, the singularity of Christ Jesus.

This one thing I know. What a glorious thing it is to have a single eye and to have the simplicity of the Lord Jesus Christ. I need that. I'm simple-minded. You know, Paul, you were talking about being offended. One good thing about being obtuse, like I am, you're too stupid to know when someone's offending you. I mean, I really, it's just, I'm just that simple-minded. You're gonna have to be pretty clear if you want to offend me. I don't see it. It's just because I'm that way. I need it to be simple. I need it to be one thing.

The gospel is not complicated. It doesn't require a high IQ. It requires an I will. And I will not unless he makes me willing. unless he makes me willing. And when he makes me willing, Christ is all. Salvation is of the Lord. It is finished. Oh, how simple the gospel is. And in all the confusion of life, brethren, may the God of glory and his Holy Spirit remind us of the simplicity that we have in Christ.

David said this in Psalm 27, he said, one thing have I desired of thee and that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. I just want to be, I just want to be with him.

And all this, all this confusion that's taking place this day in Jerusalem, surrounding the miracle that our Lord performed. And he's the only one that was clear minded. He knew, he knew exactly, he wasn't confused about anything. He was in control. everything and nothing's changed as confused as we get as as uncertain as things are our Lord is in control and that's another thing that we we know and you know you know that All things work together for good for them that love God and those who are called according to his purpose.

Now let the unbeliever look for a silver lining around every cloud and let them think that the power of positive thinking is going to somehow bring about something good. Even the Muslims will say, Allah is sovereign. Allah has done it. Allah is whatever Allah does. Let them speak false peace to their hearts. Our God reigns. And he didn't say, I'm going to work everything out for good for everybody. He said, for them that are called according to my purpose.

It's one thing that I might behold the beauty of the Lord, that I might find Myself, in times of trouble, being drawn into his presence and being comforted. You remember when Martha asked the Lord to rebuke Mary because she wasn't helping prepare the food for all the folks that were there and do whatever was necessary? Oh, Martha. Martha. There's one thing needful, one thing needful, and Mary has chosen that good thing.

Where was Mary? She was sitting at the Lord's feet, listening to him. Lord, speak. Lord, I can't figure this out. This is, this is, This is far beyond my ability to, and I will do like the men of this world. I will find false hope and false peace and false comfort. Let us not look for comfort. Let us not look for assurance. Let us not look for peace. Let us not look for love. Those things will be counterfeited with cheap counterfeits. Let us look for Christ and all that we need and all that we want will be found in Him, in Him.

One thing I know, one thing is needful, Martha, Mary has chosen the best part. Being able to forgive Paul and being able to forget. Another thing I'll tell you about myself. I grew up in the military, so every two years we lived in a different place in the world and a different place of the country. And I learned at a very young age to put the past in the past. And I'm thankful for that. I'm sure there's some way. Trish will tell you. She'll tell me about something. I don't remember. I don't remember. It was a survival mechanism for me. But what a blessing it is now to be able to say with the Apostle Paul, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do, this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and pressing toward the mark, the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. This one thing, may God give us the grace and not live in the past, to press toward Christ. I've not yet apprehended that which has apprehended me. Oh, he's got a hold of me.

The gospel is not complicated unless You try to mix the simplicity of the gospel with a lie. That's when it becomes complicated. If you try to fit the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in the glorious person and accomplished work of the Lord Jesus Christ into man's gospel, what's man's gospel? God loves everybody. Christ died for everybody. God wants everybody to be saved. God's given you a free will, which is the ultimate determining factor as to whether or not you are saved, you're in control. God's voted for you, the devil's voted against you, you break the tie. Now you try to reconcile the gospel to that, and it's not gonna make any sense at all.

Religion, man-made religion is convoluted. They talk about God being all powerful and then Well, until he comes up against man's free will, then he's abdicated his throne. God's sovereign, yet he doesn't really know who's gonna accept him, who's gonna reject him. Christ died for everybody, but not everybody he died for is gonna be saved. He wasted his blood. He's in the heavens wringing his hands trying to figure out what he can do to make men love him and want him. That's not our God. Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he wills. No man can stay his hand and no man can say unto him, what doest thou? The gospel's simple. If you're able to believe God, If you're able to believe God.

This blind man is saying to these Pharisees, I can't understand how you would think that he's a sinner. I can't side with you on that. I don't believe that he is a sinner. He wouldn't have been able to do what he did for me. if he was. The Lord's gonna wait until he offends the Pharisees so much. And I love this man. Every time I read Psalm 9, I become more attracted, yes, to the Lord, but to this poor blind man. He's so bold, he's so clear, he's so simple, he's so unafraid. He just says what he experienced, and he says what he believes, even though what he believes is very limited. It's very limited.

The Lord's gonna appear to him after he gets put out, and the Lord's gonna say to him, dost thou believe on the Son of God? Now I got thinking about it. They say that when one of our senses is compromised, our other senses make up for it. I don't know how that works, because I'm losing my hearing and my eyesight. But I'm sure that this young man, I'm just certain of it, that he had very discerning hearing. Very discerning hearing. He knew the voices of everyone he had ever met. He couldn't see them. You and I know people, you pick up the phone and someone you know on the other end says, hey, that's all they gotta say is, hey, you know who they are from the sound of their voice, if they're a person that's really close to you. When the Lord Jesus spoke to this man, after he had been excommunicated and said to him, do you believe on the Son of God? And the Lord Jesus said, you have heard him and you now see him. This man knew that that was the one who sent him to the pool of Shalom and how Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God. When God speaks, his sheep hear his voice and they follow him. They believe him, whatever he says. Look at verse 38, you still have your Bibles open there. And he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. He worshiped him. That's what faith does. It worships God.

Now, granted, what we know, our God is infinite. All eternity will not be sufficient for us to plumb the depths of his glory and of his grace. All eternity. I don't understand what that means. I just know that it means time without end and that will not be sufficient. There will always be new vistas of his glory and of his grace revealed to us. forever and ever and ever and ever. And so how can we take comfort in saying, I know, I know. Well, think about it like this. You don't have to be a rocket scientist with a PhD in mathematics to know that two plus two equals four. So just because we've not even begun to understand, let him who thinks that he knows, knows that he knoweth nothing as he ought. We see in part and we prophesy in part, but don't mistake that part as not being true.

to be able to say with this blind man, this one thing I know. I don't know much, but I know this. I know this. Once I was blind, and now I see. Isaiah chapter 54 verse 13 says they shall be taught of God and great shall be the peace of their children. God teaches you. The whole world can stand up against what you know because God showed you. It doesn't matter who's against you. If God be for me, who can be against me? They shall be all taught of God.

We were talking earlier about people trying to prove the Bible or the existence of God with history and with archeology and with philosophy. I can't prove to you anything. I'm not here to prove it. I'm here to declare it because God has made me to believe it. And I know he's made you believe it. You believe that this book is inspired of God, that every word of it, that it is the inerrant, inspired word of God. Now let me just say this about that. People say, well, how much of the Bible do I have to believe to be a believer? If God's taught you that this is his word, you believe every word of it. And if you take your pen knife like that king in the Old Testament and cut out the sections you don't like, it's because you don't believe any of it. If it's up to you to determine what's true and what's not true, you don't believe God. God's given you faith to believe.

You see, this is an important beginning because without believing that this is the word of God, then on what foundation do we say, one thing I know? I know, how do you know? Because God said so, that's how I know. That's how I know. God said so. It's just that simple. Understand it? No. God didn't call us on to... I know I've said this many times and I apologize, but, and this is something that there's a lot of, there's a lot of Calvinists who believe that you come to Christ through knowledge. And you'll not hear one of them make this statement, we don't understand anything we believe. But that statement's true. The depth of our understanding is far beyond what we believe. God gives us glimpses of light and shows us here and there a little bit of understanding. But as I've already said, eternity won't be sufficient to fully plumb the depths of his glory and of our understanding of him.

Here's my encouragement, brethren. God says, believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. How do I believe? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God. That's why we open this book. That's why we preach from the Bible. That's why we compare scripture to scripture, and the spiritual to the spiritual, because all of God's word reveals Christ. In the volume of the book, it is written of me. And wherever we go in the scriptures, were pointed to Christ.

And we can say without blind man, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what those disciples believed about me being a sinner or my parents being a sinner. I don't know what my neighbors think as to whether I'm the one or whether I'm someone else, but this one thing I know, and I'm gonna just stand right here And I feel safe because I know it for sure. I know it for sure what safety, what security, what assurance there is in knowing something.

Turn to Isaiah 59, Isaiah 59. Look with me at verse 12 in Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59, verse 12. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them. We know them. Now the word iniquity means unequal. Unequal, that's the literal meaning of the word iniquity. What does that mean? It means what Paul said in Romans, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I can't measure up. Do we understand our sin to the depth? No, the Lord Jesus is the only one that understood our sin. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

But if we've been taught of God, here's one thing we believe. The one thing I know is that this is God's word. And God says, I don't measure up. God says that all of my righteousnesses are as filthy rags before him. God says there'll be men on the day of judgment that will plead to him based on their righteousness. But Lord, we did many wonderful works in thy name. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. What you look to as your good work for the hope of your salvation, I'm telling you, doesn't measure up. It's iniquity.

When the Lord reveals himself, we can say with the blind man, I know this, I'm a sinner. I can't save myself. I can't offer to God anything to persuade him. I can't find any reason why God would save me other than his free and sovereign grace. I can't believe on him. I can't believe on him unless he saves me. I'm completely dependent upon him and his mercy for my salvation. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. What did Paul say in Romans chapter seven? And I know that in me dwelleth no good thing. Not before God. I know that. I know that. And what confidence there is in that.

Well, I love what Isaiah, the Lord told Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 40, comfort ye, comfort ye my people, speak ye comfortably unto Jerusalem and tell them their warfare is accomplished. And their iniquity has been purged. And Isaiah asked the Lord, Lord, where do I start? What do I tell them? How do I comfort them? Tell them they're grass. Start there. Tell them they're sinners. Then they won't be looking to themselves for the hope of their salvation. They'll sit at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that one thing that's needful, to have Christ for their righteousness before God, and he will be their hope.

This one thing I know. I know the Bible is the word of God. Any voice that's contrary to what God says, any message that's contrary to what God says, any opinion that God's, that's contrary. You know in the Bible, the word heresy actually means opinion. It means to choose something other than what God has said. And that's what heresy is. What comfort in all the confusion of our lives to be able to say, I know what God says is true, what God says is right, what God says is best.

Paul said this, I know. whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded. I'm persuaded. What's the world say, hell or high water? I'm persuaded. I got all my eggs in one basket. I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. I'm persuaded of that. No change in my mind. Every day I'm distracted. Every day I'm tempted to look here and there, but I can't get away from my persuasion. Why? Because I've been taught of God. God's persuaded me.

And I know what Peter knew. When the Lord asked Peter, when the Lord asked the disciples, whom do you say that I am? What did Peter say? Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And we know and we are sure that thou alone hast the words of eternal life. In all the voices of my heart and of this world and of my feelings and of my confusing life, thou alone hast the words of eternal life.

I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was born of a woman who was conceived by the Holy Ghost. That as the Son of God, as the incarnate Son of God, the one who left glory and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh and made under the law to redeem them who are cursed by the law, I believe that he lived an absolutely perfect, sinless life. That he is all of my righteousness before God.

And then he willingly, he willingly, in control of everything surrounding his death, my hour has come. Who do you seek? Jesus of Nazareth, I am. And the soldiers fell backwards. And they were pawns in his hand. And Pilate was a pawn in his hand. You have no power at all, Pilate. Pilate said, don't you know that I have the power to release you or the power to crucify you? You have no power at all except that which is given to you from my father. You're not in charge of this. I'm in control here.

To the time when he laid down on the cross, those soldiers never had anyone lay down like that before. I'm sure there were four or five of them always needed to hold him down while they drove the nails through him. He laid down willingly. He laid his life down for the sheep. They were confused till the sky was blackened. And one of them cried, surely this is the Son of God. And he gave up the ghost. Life is taken from us. He laid down his life. He was in complete control of that moment when he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. It's finished. The work that the Father sent me to do to accomplish the salvation of my people, to be a successful Savior, to be the surety of everyone that my Father chose in the covenant of grace, It's finished. I've done it all.

The grave couldn't hold him. No. He could not see corruption. My Holy One will not see corruption. He will not remain in the grave. The stones were rolled away and the Lord Jesus came forth. Why do you seek the living among the dead? He's not here. He's not here. He's alive. And he revealed himself during those days between his resurrection and his ascension only to his people.

If it had been me, I would have gone back to Pilate. I would have gone back to those Pharisees. I would have gone back to everyone that cursed me. And I would have proven to them he never did it. And he still hasn't done it since. He only reveals himself to his people. He has no need to prove himself to anyone else. He manifests his glory to his people. He ascended back into glory and took his rightful place at the right hand of the majesty on high, and he ever lives, making intercession for us.

I know this. all the doubts and all the fears and all the feelings and all the confusion all the stress broken relationships and the circumstances that can't be figured out one thing I know I used to not be able to see any of these things now I see them now I see them

I know Job said this in Job 19, I know. And Job, my goodness, oh, what suffering, what heartache. It's hard to read the book of Job, especially the first couple of chapters, and see what this poor man went through. And he pours out his heart to God, and he's got miserable comforters that are accusing him of bringing this on himself. And he keeps crying out, oh Lord, what's this all about? I don't understand it. I don't understand it. And in some places he even accuses God. He says, God, this is not fair. Let me bring my case before your counsel and I'll prove to you I'm innocent. I don't deserve this. Of course, when the Lord did reveal himself to Job, Job said, oh, I spoke without knowledge. I'm vile. Lord, I repent in dust and ashes. I didn't know what I was talking about.

But in chapter 19, he said this, I know. I know this, my redeemer liveth. And that he shall stand on the earth in the latter day. I know he's coming back. I know that. Praise God if it's today, but I know it. I'm certain of it. The Lord's coming. And if it be, if his coming again be after my skin, the worm shall destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God. God's gonna give me a new body. It's not gonna be like this body. It's not gonna be broken, it's not gonna be sinful, it's not gonna be sick. It's gonna be a perfect body. I'm gonna see him as he is, I'm gonna be made like him, I know that. This is my hope. Whatever else God sends, whatever else I don't know, and I don't know a lot of things, I know this. I know this. I shall see him for myself and my eyes shall behold none other, none other. I'm gonna look on him. That's what gets me through. That's what settles all the confusion. This one thing that I know.

Martha thought she knew something when at her brother's tomb, she said to the Lord, I know that my brother will rise in the resurrection. Martha, Martha, look at me. I am the resurrection. He that believeth in me, though he die, yet shall he live. and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Martha, believest thou this? Do you believe this, Martha? What'd Martha say? Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ that should come into the world. I've got no one else to look to. I've got no one else to turn to. I've got no one else to save me. I've got no one else to help me. You're all I've got. And if he's all you've got, he's all you need. He's all you need. You say he's a sinner. I can't side with you on that one. This one thing I know. One thing. There was a time when I couldn't see any of this. Now I see clearly. Clearly. Let me rephrase that. Now I see convincingly. I look through a glass darkly right now. It's not as clear as I want to be. I want it to be clearer and clearer and clearer and clearer. But though it not be as clear as I want it to be, I'm convinced he's made me so. Amen? Amen.

Tom? 29. 29 in the spiral hymnal. Let's stand together. Number 29.